Inside the Loud House
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Syracuse Football: Best non-first round SU picks in NFL Draft history

By Paul A. Esden Jr.

23 Jan 1994: Running back Daryl Johnston of the Dallas Cowboys (right) gets tackled by San Francisco 49ers defensive back Don Griffin during a playoff game at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas. The Cowboys won the game, 38-21. Mandatory Credit: Mike Powell
23 Jan 1994: Running back Daryl Johnston of the Dallas Cowboys (right) gets tackled by San Francisco 49ers defensive back Don Griffin during a playoff game at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas. The Cowboys won the game, 38-21. Mandatory Credit: Mike Powell /
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55. . . . Bill Hurley. 5. team

  • Fourth round pick (110th overall) in the 1980 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
  • Played for Syracuse from 1975 through 1979.

Bill Hurley’s versatility should remind you of another Orange great in Jim Brown. Hurley was a multi-sport athlete and a pretty darn good one at that. The Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame had this to say on Hurley:

"“Hurley dominated the local scene in baseball and football, was team MVP in hockey, and a member of the school’s championship track and field team, but achieved his greatest stardom on the gridiron.”"

Hurley used that versatility at Syracuse on the football field. Not only was Hurley a phenomenal passer but he was one of the original dual threat guys back in the 1970’s. He finished his SU career ranked first in passing yards and third in rushing. I’m not just talking about third in rushing for quarterbacks, I’m talking overall. This list includes Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, and even Floyd Little.

You could call him an old school Lamar Jackson. He became just the third quarterback in modern college football history to rush for at least 2,000 yards and pass for at least 3,000 yards. That collegiate success didn’t translate to a Hall of Fame NFL career, but it did result in being inducted into the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame.

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